Throne of the Fallen полностью

Even with Envy’s confidence, there was no telling how the fight would end. Immeasurable ass that he was, Camilla didn’t want any harm to come to the demon prince.

Alexei entered the royal box, nodding to Blade as they silently exchanged places.

Camilla slanted a look in his direction. He was already watching her.

“His Highness said to wear these.”

He held up two beautiful cuffs: wide silver bands fitted with what looked to be a hundred ruby shards.

“He said, and I quote, put them on and pretend he’s cuffed you to his bed.”

She rolled her eyes. Even now the demon was trying to distract her. He could say whatever he liked about only keeping her safe for the game. His actions said otherwise.

Alexei handed her one cuff at a time.

She noticed he only touched the silver.

“Aversion to rubies?”

“Not quite.” A smile ghosted across his face. “Rosary peas mixed with rubies. Highly lethal to vampires.”

“He expects I’ll need them?”

“A precaution, Miss Antonius.”

She gingerly took the cuffs and put them on. They fit as if they’d been forged for her.

“They were,” Alexei said.

“Why is it that everyone in this realm can read my mind?”

“Your expression tells your thoughts. It’s minute,” he added, “nothing a mortal would notice. But you’re no longer surrounded by mortals. Creatures here pay attention to everything; no detail is too small. You need to constantly wear a mask.”

“I suppose being surrounded by other predators keeps one sharp.”

He inclined his head in agreement but didn’t comment further.

Instead, he handed her a matching necklace he pulled from a satchel she hadn’t noticed, his cool fingers accidentally brushing hers before he quickly drew back.

She searched his blue eyes for answers. She hadn’t felt any loss of her senses, and his eyes identified him as royal.

“Your touch doesn’t impair me the way Zarus’s does. Why is that?”

His attention sharpened.

Bollocks, she cursed silently. She remembered too late that she was supposed to be human. Alexei looked at her for a long minute, then finally answered.

“Zarus is a blight.” Alexei’s icy gaze hardened. “He needs adoration almost more than he needs blood. In his mind he is a god, and he wants to be worshipped as such, even if he manufactures it through abuse of power. He rarely listens to advisors, and his hubris damages his court. He recently provoked Prince Wrath, which resulted in…” He shook his head. “Zarus’s reign ended when he made that move. It’s only been a matter of when he is deposed.”

Camilla was surprised any predator felt a moral obligation to use their magic only when necessary.

“If Prince Envy defeats him, will you take the throne?”

“When His Highness defeats him,” Alexei corrected, “I will return to House Envy.”

“Is that what you want?”

“Yes.”

Alexei glanced at the billowing white sheer drapes separating the royal box from the chaos beyond, the chalices of alcohol-spiked blood, the mortals being seduced and bitten.

If he longed to indulge like his brethren, he didn’t let it show.

“I choose to be His Highness’s second-in-command. There is much to learn from the way he runs his court. One day I might decide to return here, but for now our arrangement is mutually beneficial.”

“Does Envy know you’re studying his court?”

Alexei’s smile broadened. “Of course. It was his idea.”

Trumpets blared near the fighting pit, three short blasts that made the hair along the back of Camilla’s neck rise.

Alexei shifted his attention to Blade, a silent conversation seeming to take place between them before the latter inclined his head and stepped into the shadows.

“Relax,” Alexei murmured, “Envy will not lose.”

Relaxing in a tower full of blood-drunk vampires while one of the only allies she had in this realm battled to the death wasn’t possible. If Envy didn’t make it…

Camilla wasn’t sure there was much hope that she’d find her way back to Waverly Green. Alexei might try to bring her to House Wrath, but what chance did he stand of getting them to safety if the demon prince fell?

She perched on the edge of her seat, staring down.

Camilla fixated on the white sand below, on the two gated caverns on opposite sides from which she imagined each prince would emerge.

A giant humanoid creature wearing a crudely made wolf head helmet that completely hid its face strode out, muscled chest bare, tattooed arms and thighs the size of an elephant. It had to be at least twelve feet tall and was built like a mountain.

Camilla couldn’t imagine anyone fighting it and walking away with their life.

Alexei scoffed.

“Canidae. Unoriginal as far as taunts go. But that’s Zarus.”

“How is it a taunt?”

It certainly didn’t seem like a taunt to her. It seemed like Death walking.

“Envy’s House symbol is a double-headed wolf. A green-eyed monster. Canidae, known as the Wolf of the Western Isles, was chosen to mock the prince.”